all couriers are much of a muchness. I dont like parcelforce myself, and they are quite expensive. Its classed as 2 parcels, even though only one consignment, you should wrap separately, and put loads of bubble wrap around the car seat (unless you have the original box and the packing stuff)If you look under completed listings and that will give you some idea, but I'm afraid the pliko switch in the empire design doesnt tend to fetch mega bucks as it was a popular design and there are lots of them about. Measurements and weight wise, I usually just nick the folded dimensions off m&p website and add a few cm either way for bubble wrap.

if you want to try a different courier, theres www.p4d.co.uk or parcel2go.com

HiIf you use parcelforce two parcel's = you pay for each. You need to weigh and measure each. Then you either book it in online or you call them up depending on the account arrangement you have with them. They will either collect from you or you take it to the post office with the lables you are given usually via email stuck on your parcel's.

We use parcelforce as a business customer and we trust them and they have been the cheapest for our needs. However this might not be the case for you as a domestic customer.

Other couriers you could get a price from that I have used before are DHL, Hermes, TNT but I'd get some prices then list your item depending on your quote.

No idea re going price for your buggy and carseat. Why not watch a few on ebay and see what they end for that gives you a good idea as to what sort of buy it now you could ask for.

I have gone all the way through the system on parcel force without actually paying for it and it will let me send 2 parcels, total consignment weight 20kg (pram + car seat + base + packaging) for 322.50 with them collecting from my house. I tried all the other you mentioned and it was really expensive. I don't know how people on ebay are offering £12 and even £5!!!

I find Interparcel to be the best as they take items with bigger dimensions than some of the other (myhermes for example doesn't like boxes longer than 100cm iirc) - I've sent my bugaboo bee (78x45x45) for £6.99 and micralite fastfold (102x45x40) for the same.

basically its your measurements thats the problem. I find that 90cmX60cmX40cm is about the maximum dimensions before you move up to the next price bracket. if its longer than 90cm you have to reduce the width/depth as it works out the volume of the parcel.

for a switch, I would pack just the pushchair with the seat unit on as one parcel (dimensions 40X40X108) and pack the car seat and base clipped together with the apron etc stuffed into the bucket of the car seat in the other parcel. According to my calculations, if you bubble wrap the lot, it should still fall within maximum dimensions for the £6.99 excluding vat DHL domestic bracket on P4D.